[Agamemnon]

This assumes of course one accepts the view that all species that ever were, were not all there at the "beginning."

Got that a little backwards. "Speciation" is merely a classification which we have chosen to impose to help us sort "like" and successfully procreative organisms a la Linneus. All "species" that could have possibly been, existed in the original Creation. Not all of those "species" exist now, due to their extinctions throughout history (e.g., most dinosaurs).

[Torie]

I understand one can take the view, as you apparently do, that all species that ever were, were there at the beginning. I think that is ludicrous, but that is just my opinion.