I encountered this large spider in a defoliated parking area for a nature trail in New Orleans City Park. Actually my daughter noticed it and jumped back. It's about the size of a silver dollar. It was very docile in the sun and started hopping several inches at a time when I shooed it away. Can't find a match on Google Images or any insect info sites. I thought it looked like a large wolf spider, but the size and orageness of the head don't seem to fit.
Thanks for any help with this.
Could be a male wolf spider - males usually have a much smaller abdomen than females, this makes their cephalothorax appear disproportionally larger.
We have a lot of wolf spiders around, but I've never seen one that big.
I have seen wolf spiders with a leg span of nearly 4", but a male fishing spider is another possibility - http://www.arizonensis.org/images/arthropoda/dolomedes.jpg
Need a clear view of its eyes to be certain.
