Unbinding the bindweed psyllid (Bactericera maculipennis [Hemiptera: Triozidae]) from its Convolvulus host exposes it to a novel bacterial symbiont.

This article focuses on the host range expansion of the bindweed psyllid, *Bactericera maculipennis* (Hemiptera: Triozidae), to include the native solanaceous plant *Solanum umbelliferum* (Solanaceae) in California, USA. Laboratory assays demonstrated that *B. maculipennis* can complete development from egg to adult on *S. umbelliferum* more rapidly than on its previously known primary host, *Convolvulus arvensis* (Convolvulaceae), while failing to develop on other tested solanaceous species. Field surveys confirmed the presence of *B. maculipennis* on *S. umbelliferum* and revealed infections in these psyllids by two haplotypes of the plant pathogen *Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum* (CLso), including the crop-associated haplotype B and a novel haplotype Sumb2 previously found in *S. umbelliferum*. These findings suggest potential ecological interactions and pathogen exchange between *B. maculipennis* and the potato psyllid (*Bactericera cockerelli*), which also uses *S. umbelliferum* as a host, with implications for the evolution and transmission dynamics of CLso variants in wild and agricultural systems.