The domestication event of Chinese oak silkworm Antheraea pernyi that is the top one yield of wild silkworms worldwide occurred in China. American and Indian scholars think of A. roylei as the wild ancestor of the domestic type of A. pernyi(ApD, while Chinese scholars consider the "wild type of A. pernyi(ApW)" as the wild ancestor of ApD. The available historic records suggest that the domestication event of ApD occurred in the Shandong Province in China, but some people consider Henan Province as its origin site. To address the two issues, the mitochondrial gene(genome) was used to compare the domesticated samples and light-trapped wild samples. The phylogenetic analysis based on partial COI gene corresponding to the DNA barcode from near 100 samples/sequences of Antheraea genus revealed that so called "A. roylei" is a complex species group, and identified that ApW is indeed distributed into Southern China(Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces), Vietnam and Tailand. The mean Kimura-2-Parameter genetic distance is 0.0168 ± 0.0045 between ApD and ApW population, but 0.00602 ± 0.00150 within ApD population and 0.00333 ± 0.00123 within ApW population, confirming the presence of ApW. The larvae of ApW exhibit cyan-yellow body color. Compared to ApD, the larvae of ApW show better mobility and difficulty in rearing with high density. The moths of ApW are difficult in sib mating indoors, but easy with ApD male, thus leading to the population preservation of ApW female x ApD male only. Phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial genome of ApD and ApW available to date also suggested that only one geographically distinct event occurred in domestication of ApD, and that the domestication event of ApD might occur in Henan Province, rather than Shandong Province. A near-complete genome assembly of ApW identified 49 pseudochromosomes, further rejecting the view that ApD(n = 49) is an artificial derivative of A. roylei(n = 31). Our work confirmed that ApW is the wild ancestor of A. pernyi that is helpful for understanding the domestication road of ApD. More attention should be paid on collection,evaluation and long-term preservation of ApW resources in Southern China in the future.