Systematic entomology today: thousands of rove beetle species, dozens of science dimensions

Rapid and significant methodological advancement of the biological systematics in last decades notably changed an everyday work routine of a systematist. Basically, modern systematics is becoming a more and more complex and challenging science. Therefore even “simple” tasks like species description, identification key construction, defining  a genus and so on, may now imply a variety of tools, methods and approaches. For example, some systematic studies of the better known taxa of vertebrates are becoming incredibly multidisciplinary. As a rule, however, such iconic model animal groups have manageable number of better known species. But what to do when you work on rove beetles (Staphylinidae), the largest family of animals with tens of thousands of tiny beetles dwelling leaf litter around the globe? When entire evolutionary lineages or the whole faunas of entire continents  are hardly known? What to do when alpha-level taxonomy is no longer in favor of funding agencies and job providers? How to steer your own systematic career and  research of your students? I will try to share some thoughts, experience and concerns on these issues based on my own work and some study cases of the rove beetle systematics.