In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Parnassius actius (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae: Parnassinae) was reported. Meanwhile, the phylogenetic position of this Apollo species was inferred from this sequence combined with other available related sequence data. The results showed that the whole mitogenome is 15,386 bp in length, containing 13 typical protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs) and a noncoding control region (A+T-rich region). The mitogenomic gene orientation and arrangement are the same with other sequenced Parnassius species. Thirteen protein coding genes is 11,195 bp in size, encoding 3,720 amino acids totally; the lrRNA and srRNA genes are 1,351 bp and 779 bp, respectively. Eleven intergenic spacers ranging from 1 to 40 bp (129 bp in total), 10 overlapping regions from 1 to 8 bp (26 bp in total), and a 504 bp A+T-rich region harboring some Parnassius-specific sequences are scattered throughout the whole mitogenome. The maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses showed that the genus Parnassius of this study contained five major clades which can be categorized into the eight subgenera reported by the previous molecular studies; additionally, the P. actius was shown to be more closely related to P. nomion than other Parnassius species, suggesting that the P. actius stands as an effective species with its phylogenetic position awaiting further studies.