Which is the largest spider?

The Goliath birdeater, a tarantula from the rainforests of northern South America, is the heaviest spider in the world, weighing up to around 175 grams. Its leg span can approach 30 centimetres, about the size of a dinner plate. Despite its name, it rarely eats birds and mostly feeds on insects, worms, frogs and small rodents. The giant huntsman spider, discovered in a cave in Laos in 2001, has an even wider leg span of about 30 centimetres, but its body is far lighter. The Goliath birdeater defends itself by flicking irritating hairs from its abdomen and making a hissing sound by rubbing its legs together.