Rhinoceros sondaicus was the scientific name used by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest in 1822 for a rhinoceros from Java sent by Pierre-Médard Diard and Alfred Duvaucel to the National Museum of Natural History, France.In the 19th century, several zoological specimens of hornless rhinoceros were described:
Rhinoceros inermis proposed by René Lesson in 1838 was a female rhinoceros without horns shot in the Sundarbans.
Rhinoceros nasalis and Rhinoceros floweri proposed by John Edward Gray in 1867 were two rhinoceros skulls from Borneo and one from Sumatra, respectively.
Rhinoceros annamiticus proposed by Pierre Marie Heude in 1892 was a specimen from Vietnam.
As of 2005, three Javan rhinoceros subspecies are considered
R. s. sondaicus, the nominate subspecies, known as the Indonesian Javan rhinoceros
R. s. inermis, known as the Indian Javan rhinoceros or lesser Indian rhinoceros
R. s. annamiticus, known as the Vietnamese Javan rhinoceros or Vietnamese rhinoceros
