Sri Lankan zoologist Paules Edward Pieris Deraniyagala described it in 1950 under the trinomial Elephas maximus borneensis, taking as his type an illustration in National Geographic.
O zoólogo de Sri Lanka Paules Edward Pieris Deraniyagala describiuno en 1950 baixo o trinomial Elephas maximus borneensis, tomando como tipo unha ilustración de National Geographic.