The species was described by Ivan Sazima, Luiz Vizotto, and Valdir Taddei in 1978.

[2] It was named after Werner Carlos Augusto Bokermann—a prominent Brazilian herpetologist and former head of the bird department at the São Paulo Zoo.

[3] While it was once thought to have a wider geographic range, a 2013 analysis concluded that the population of L. bokermanni in the Atlantic Forest was actually a new, separate species, Peracchi's nectar bat.

[4] The implications of this taxonomic split were part of the reason that this species' listing was changed to endangered in 2016 by the IUCN, as it meant that it was not as widespread as previously thought.

Their total wingspan is 28 cm (11 in) long, and they weigh approximately 12 g (0.42 oz).

It can be distinguished from other members of its genus by its short upper and lower tooth rows, trilobulate lower incisors, distinctly shaped second upper premolars, and narrow premolars and molars.

Possibly, they undergo short migrations in response to food availability.

[8][4] Bokermann's nectar bat has only been confirmed in Jaboticatubas, Itambé do Mato Dentro, and Diamantina, all of which are in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.