Their anatomy resembles other members of the elasmobranch subclass including fused pectoral wings and an asymmetrical caudal fin characteristic of rays and sharks respectively.

[8] Southern banded guitarfish are a demersal species that can be found occupying the sandy bottoms of shores and reefs of the warm, tropical waters of the Southeast Pacific beginning near central Mexico and continuing down to Peru.

[12] Mating is thought to peak between June and July to produce offspring that are born during the dry season of December to January, resulting in a gestation period that lasts between 4 and 6 months.

Gestation period for Z. xyster, which is shorter than other Zapteryx species, may be hastened by high water temperatures which result in faster overall growth rates and smaller sizes in adulthood.

[15] Southern banded guitarfish are diet generalists, predating upon various benthic species of teleost fishes, shrimps, and stomatopods through the use of an inferior mouth.

[16] Based on the analysis of stomach contents from guitarfish caught via bottom trawling, feeding behavior is highest during the early morning hours until noon, indicating higher overall activity during the day when compared with nighttime, although the opposite has also been shown to be true in the past.

[17] The diets of southern banded guitarfish and other Zapteryx species exhibit minimal crossover due to differences in habitat selection, limiting potential competition between the groups.

Human exploitation has been identified as the greatest threat to the species due to the co-occurrence of unmanaged large and small-scale industrial fisheries within their endemic regions.

[5] As resources are depleted due to overexploitation, some Costa Rican fisheries have shifted operations to more shallow waters where they risk coming into increased contact with Z. xyster.

[16] Because southern banded guitarfish require 7 to 9 years to mature depending on sex, this practice can severely affect population growth and stability.