The Wami tilapia is a tilapiine cichlid that grows to over 20 cm in length and is considered a useful food fish in Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar, which is recognized as a potential origin.

It is tolerant of brackish water and grows well in saline pools, making it particularly suitable for aquaculture by communities living close to the sea.

Formerly considered a separate species, it is at present merged with the Rufigi tilapia and thus the scientific name is Oreochromis urolepis hornorum.

[2] Note that based on the mtDNA study by Nagl et al. (2001), the Mozambique and Wami tilapias do not appear to be closely related.

This would seem to support the second hypothesis - maternal gene flow from Sarotherodon to Oreochromis; whether this is correct or not, it amply illustrates that mtDNA sequences are not a reliable indicator of phylogenetic relationships in these fish.