Come again? There are examples of punc eq in the fossil record: that is cases where the gradual transition between species in a particular geographic area and in a geologically brief time horizon has been captured in the fossil record. For instance Niles Eldgridge found a smooth transition between two species of trilobites that elsewhere in fossil record appeared abruptly without transition.
Nor is punc eq the only mode of change in the fossil record. Cases of phyletic gradualism have also been documented in the fossil record.
IOW species sometimes evolve rapidly in small and isolated populations and at other times change from one species to happens gradually and among larger populations.
I fail to understand the difficulty you think you see.
Somewhat less dishonest than Gould and Dawkins, Darwin was more vocal in admitting the problems gradualism faced in the wake of punctuated equilibria. All of them, and the general community of evolutionists at large, are on their face simply duplicitous. Militant evolutionists do believe in limitless speciation and expect us to swallow broad abiogenesis, but dare not trumpet their duplicity from the wires lest their opponent gain greater public support. These are the militant evolutionists who choose to ignore the compelling nature of the apparent mechanical designs underpinning the delicate balance of life.