viviparity hemotrophic viviparity Mode of reproduction in which nutrients are provided by the female, often through a placenta, as in mammals (except for marsupials and monotremes). In the frog, Gastrotheca ovifera, embryos are fed by the mother through specialized gills. The lizard Pseudomoia pagenstecheri and most mammals use this form of viviparity. Oviparity or viviparity? This is the question... viviparity