Loligo is a genus of squids and one of the most representative and widely distributed groups of myopsid squids. The genus was first described by Jean Baptiste Lamarck in 1798. However, the name had been used earlier than Lamarck (Schneider, 1784; Linnaeus, 1758) and might even have been used by Pliny. In the early 19th century, this generic name was often used as a grouping for all true squids.