Thrips is the common name given to insects belonging to the order Thysanoptera. These tiny insects are seen in aggregates on various plant parts. They have unique asymmetrical mouthparts which they use to feed on plant matter. Most species are herbivorous, but some predatory species have been recorded as well. Out of the 6102 species of thrips described globally 1% act as pollinators, predators and vectors for viruses. These insects are not only capable of destroying important crops like cotton and potato through their eating habits, but also act as vectors of plant viruses further threatening important crops. The precise identification of these minute insects could help us design effective strategies to control them and hence prevent economic ramifications of crop damage. In their recent study scientists from the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata have used DNA barcoding technique to differentiate between 89 morphospecies of thrips. This study is the largest ever DNA barcoding effort conducted on thrips! The researchers found 6 cryptic morphospecies i.e. 6 species of thrips that had similar morphology but were indeed belonging to different species. Through the study the researchers were able to distinguish between closed related species and species complexes. They also revealed cryptic speciation in a number of pest and vector species. This study contributed 104 novel sequences of 39 morphospecies to GenBank database increasing our knowledge on identification of these minute insects immensely.