The southern root-knot nematode (SRKN) includes at least nine races, SP to SP , which were identified based on their different responses to five differential s we e t p o t a t o c u l t i v a r s , ' No r i n -', ' No r i n -', 'Tanegashimamurasaki-', 'Elegant Summer', and 'J-Red'. In this study, we propose a modified method for SRKN race identification in which the threshold of response is egg masses instead of the two-egg-mass threshold used in the original method, when a sweetpotato plant was inoculated with second-stage juveniles. According to this method, two isolates of SP , Okiishiand Ishigaki-, showed the same response to each of these five cultivars. We found, however, that three sweetpotato cultivars, 'Murasakimasari', 'Suzukogane', and 'Chienoha', were resistant to the Okiishi-isolate and susceptible to the Ishigaki-isolate. These results indicated that the Okiishi-and Ishigaki-isolates were distinct and that SP included at least two races. We suggest that the Okiishi-and Ishigaki-isolates should be distinguished by sub-numbers and designated SPand SP -, respectively. Five isolates of SP collected from a sweetpotato field in Chiba prefecture were examined, and all of them were identified as SP -. Nematol. Res. ( ), -( ) Key words: Meloidogyne incognita, new race, SP -, SP -, sweetpotato