Background: Spiral nematodes of the genus Helicotylenchus are globally distributed, and contain various species complexes that normally exhibit similar diagnostic characteristics. Some studies on the parasitism of tomato by spiral nematodes include only census data, or morphological data and lack detailed molecular data in China. At present, carrot disks have been successfully applied in the culture of plant-parasitic nematodes, but carrot disks are not suitable for rearing all migratory plant-parasitic nematodes, and only a small number of plant-parasitic nematodes can be cultured. However, the establishment of a culture method for Helicotylenchus has not been reported.Results: Spiral nematodes were recovered from tomato roots and soil samples, and the purified spiral nematode LQ-1 population was identified based on morphological and molecular biological technology. Both the morphological characteristics and molecular analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and D2-D3 expansion region of 28S ribosomal RNA sequences revealed that the species of the spiral nematode LQ-1 population was Helicotylenchus microlobus. Phylogenetic analysis with the rRNA sequences of the ITS and 28S D2-D3 regions was consistent with molecular identification, suggesting that the spiral nematode LQ-1 population formed a highly supported clade with other H. microlobus populations. Additionally, a method for culture of H. microlobus on carrot disks was established, and the effect of temperature on the reproduction rate (Rr) of this nematode was investigated. The optimum temperature for H. microlobus culture on carrot disks was 27.5 °C, and the Rr reached 406 after 90 days of inoculation with 30 females.Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first systematic description of H. microlobus from tomato in China. This study also demonstrated for the first time that the carrot disk method is suitable for the culture of H. microlobus. This study lays a foundation for other related research on H. microlobus, and has significance for the study of spiral nematodes.