[6] Other identifying features of Pseudobatos productus include a depressed body shape with a dorsoventrally flattened opaque snout, no gap between the pectoral and pelvic fins, and protruding eyes.

[10] The bowmouth guitarfish is found in waters of the Indo-West Pacific and has a more rounded snout than the shovelnose, and larger dorsal fins which can reach lengths up to cm (about 9.68 ft).

[11] Pseudobatos productus inhabits shallow estuaries and bays of the Mexican Pacific ranging from San Francisco, California to Guerrero, Mexico.

Research suggests that La Jolla, California is the preferred residency of adult shovelnose guitarfish.

[12] Members of this species are not commonly found in open water and tend to remain in coastal ecosystems such as bays, estuaries as well as seagrass beds at depths of less than 40 feet.

[7] Females migrate to southern California and Baja in spring to spawn and give birth in the early summer months.

Morphological and genetic variations occur in the mitochondrial DNA in those found in the Gulf of California, evidencing their isolation from the rest.

[14] Shovelnose guitarfish possess spiracles found behind their eyes which are used to pump water over to gills to absorb oxygen.

[7] Similar to other fishes, P. productus has a lateral line consisting in a series of sensors that help detect changes in water pressure and movement.

The Ampullae of Lorenzini allows them to detect low levels of electrical currents which alerts to food sources.

[7] The visual system of the shovelnose is more extensive and developed than other Elasmobranchii, with multiple large projections connecting to the brain.

Almost the entire dorsal and ventral hypothalamus is connected to the visual system but still maintains a similar lack of differentiation as with sharks.

[15] Shovelnose guitarfish feed on benthic invertebrates including worms, mollusks, crustaceans, cephalopods, and small fish.

Shovelnose guitarfish are not efficient at capturing fast-moving prey and therefore must maintain a diet of slow-moving organisms.

P. productus plays an important ecological role in their ecosystem by being both a prey and predatory species in coastal marine areas.

Common parasitic and commensal species found on shovelnose guitarfish include Acanthobothrium olseni, Parachristianella monomegacantha, Rhinobatonchocotyle cyclovaginatus, Heterocotyle papillata, Spinuris lophosoma, and Norkus cladocephalus.

[21] Female shovelnose guitarfish are aplacental viviparous and give birth to live young, but do not develop a placenta.

The embryos lack pigment in their bodies and remain transparent, but they begin to develop small fin protrusions.

The pectoral fins have fused to the branchial region of the head, the body begins to gain pigment, and the eyes have developed.

Additionally, they make up a substantial amount of the incidental catch from the industrial shrimp fishery in the Gulf of California.

[12] Bottom-set gillnets used in the ray fishery in the Gulf of California frequently capture shovelnose guitarfish close to shore.

Pseudobatos productus, like many other species of rays, experiences late maturity, slow growth, and a small reproductive rate.