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Indian Rhino Scientific names

The following scientific names have been proposed for the species which is now called Indian rhinoceros, Rhinoceros unicornis. The names are given in alphabetical order with information about author, type-specimen and type-locality and a list of combinations found in the literature.

Rhinoceros asiaticus Blumenbach, 1797: 126.
Type-specimen: not designated. Blumenbach 1797: 126 referred to Blumenbach 1796, pl. 7 fig. B depicting a skull of R.sondaicus first in the possession of Petrus Camper (Rookmaaker & Visser 1982) and later sent to Paris where it was figured by Cuvier 1812a: 1st plate, 1836b, pl. 42 fig. 3.
Type-locality: 'Ost-Indien' (Blumenbach 1797).

Rhinoceros unicornis bengalensis Kourist, 1970: 151.
Proposed conditionally, referring to specimens intermediary between R. unicornis and R.sondaicus.

Rhinoceros indicus Cuvier, 1816: 239.
Type-specimen: not designated.
Type-locality: 'Indes orientales, surtout au dela du Gange' (Cuvier 1816).
Combinations used for this taxon:
Ceratorhinus indicus
Rhinoceros indicus

Rhinoceros jamrachi Jamrach, 1875.
Type-specimen: female rhinoceros imported by Jamrach in 1874 to London, and exhibited in Berlin zoo from 1874 (still living in 1884). Specimen unknown. Barbour & Allen 1932: 147 ('specimen in thc Museum of Comparative Zoology may be the lost type with the formal locality 'Java' added').
Type-locality: 'Mooneypoor'(Jamrach 18751, i.e. Manipur, N.E. India.

Rhinoceros rugosus Blumenbach, 1779: 134.
Type-specimen: not designated.
Type-locality: not stated, but obviously India.

Rhinoceros unicornis var. sinensis Laufer, 1914: 159, proposed for the Chinese
single-horned rhinoceros (Chinese: se).

Rhinoceros stenocephalus Gray, 1868: 1018, figs, 5, 6.
Type-specimen: British Museum (Natural History). no. 722e = 1846.3.23.4, received from the Zoological Society of London.
Type-locality: 'Asia' (Gray 1868) as specimen was unlocalised.

Rhinoceros unicornis Linnaeus, 1758: 56, referring to Jonston 1655: 98, Bontius 1l658: 50, Bergen 1746, Gessner 1551 and Aldrovandi 1621
Type-specimen: not designated.
Type-locality: 'Africa, Asia' (Linnacus 1758). Ellerman & Morrison-Scott 1951: 339 (probably the sub-Himalayan terai of Assam). Lydekker 1916: 48 (sub-Himalayan tarai of Assam). Thomas 1911: 156 (Bengal).
Combinations used for this taxon:
Rhinoceros indicus unicornis
Rhinoceros unicornis
Rhinoceros indicus unicornis
Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros) unicornis


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